1 Put some water in a tea kettle to boil. While it heats up you can prepare the rest of the ingredients.

2 Prepare the ginger. Slice it in thin rounds or grate it into tiny particles (grated ginger makes the strongest tea, especially if you don't strain it). Put a tablespoon or so of ginger in your mug.

3 Cut a lemon in half. Squeeze both halves into a small bowl, and pick or strain the seeds out.

4 Pour the hot water over the ginger and allow to steep for five to ten minutes.

5 Strain or pick the ginger out if you prefer not to swallow the particles, and season to taste with honey and fresh lemon juice.

*Make sure to thoroughly cool for little ones before serving.

If you have an upset stomach, are suffering from allergies. Besides being a delicious caffeine-free hot drink, ginger lemon tea is a great natural remedy for colds and related illnesses. Cozy up with a cup at the first sign of stuffiness, and the warm, steamy drink may clear your sinuses, soothe your throat, and possibly even stave off further symptoms.

2.Garam Masala Description Garam is the Hindi word for "warm" or "hot," and this blend of dry-roasted ground spices from the colder climes of northern India adds a sense of warmth to both palate and spirit. There are as many variations of garam masala as there are Indian cooks. It can include black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, cardamom, dried chiles, fennel, ginger, mace and nutmeg. Garam masala may be purchased in Indian markets and in the gourmet section of some supermarkets.

Uses Garam masala is usually either added to a curries, vegetable dishes, soups, or stews toward the end of cooking or sprinkled over the surface just before serving.

Garam masala is best made fresh just before you begin cooking, but if you haven’t got the patience, make a batch ahead and store for several months in an air-tight container in a cool, dark place.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 4 minutes

Total Time: 14 minutes

Ingredients:

4 tbsps coriander seeds

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp black peppercorns

1 ½ tsps black cumin seeds

1 ½ tsps dry ginger

¾ tsp black cardamom (3-4 large pods approx)

¾ tsp cloves

¾ tsp cinnamon (2 X 1” pieces)

¾ tsp crushed bay leaves

Preparation:

Heat a heavy skillet on a medium flame and gently roast all ingredients (leave cardamom in its pods till later) except the dry ginger, till they turn a few shades darker. Stir occasionally. Do not be tempted to speed up the process by turning up the heat as the spices will burn on the outside and remain raw on the inside.

When the spices are roasted turn of the flame and allow them to cool.

Once cooled, remove the cardamom seeds from their skins and mix them back with all the other roasted spices.

Grind them all together, to a fine powder in a clean, dry coffee grinder.